You know, these people drive me crazy. It sometimes baffles me about how delusional they are regarding their place in the world as role models. Look at Prince Charles: Sure, the guy isn’t going to go live in a hut anytime soon; but his efforts (emphasis on efforts) to reduce his reliance on wasteful practices (instead of waiting for technology to assist) is admirable. People take notice. People emulate. It’s completely natural to look up to those in a position of power and admire. If someone like Tony Blair or George Bush says that we shouldn’t worry about carpooling, taking advantage of public transportation, or finding reasonable alternatives to wasteful habits, people will listen. If however, they make small changes themselves, while also pushing for legislation to technologically push us in a greener direction, the trickle-down effect will be that much greater.

Unlike Blair’s rosy optimism for leaning on technology, I don’t believe the world will suddenly fix itself with a magic button. The change starts now and you’re either a part of the solution or a part of the problem. There are no excuses for being in a top level of power and spotlight and being grouped with the later.